HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A group hoping to see the 1 percent transportation tax referendum in Hillsborough County on the November ballot is facing hurdles as reports of rejection by a circuit court judge surface.
Voters initially were given the chance to have their say on if the referendum should pass or not, but its future on the Nov. 8 ballot is uncertain.
"The only losers today are the residents of Hillsborough County who have again had their opportunity to fix our broken transportation system delayed," All for Transportation Co-Founder Tyler Hudson said in a statement received by 10 Tampa Bay. "We will continue to pay the high price of doing nothing and the call for action will only grow louder.
"We’re facing a transportation emergency, and we hope the County Commission will explore every legal avenue to bring this question to the voters in 29 days.”
Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers also said in a statement that she will support the call for an emergency meeting with other commissioners to ensure the referendum remains on the ballot next month.
"This urgent issue belongs in the hands of the voters," she said. "I support holding an emergency meeting of the County Commission and I have asked the county staff to present all possible legal alternatives to keep this vital issue on the November 8 ballot."
According to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, the circuit judge has not yet written an order as of Monday evening, which would be the next step to finalize the rejection.
"Ballots have already been printed, so we will post notices to voters pursuant to the court’s order," a spokesperson for the county's supervisor of elections said in an email to 10 Tampa Bay. "The notices will be in Vote By Mail packets and in privacy booths at voting locations."
The 1 percent transportation tax referendum would've approved the raising of sales tax in Hillsborough County from 7.5 to 8.5 percent and allowed transportation officials to have the funds to make roads safer by adding bike lanes, lights and paving roads.
Something very similar was passed in 2018. Around half a billion tax dollars were collected. That referendum was ruled unconstitutional because voters decided how the money was spent.
However, supporters of the new transportation tax said that this time is different because county commissioners decided to put it on the November ballot.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to the judge that rejected the referendum but has not yet received a response.